A Sky of Falling Stars
by revvangrey
Summary: How far is too far? (First sequel to He will Surely Save) (Part 3.1 added)
1. Speak Her Name

**A Sky of Falling Stars, part one: Speak Her Name**

**I do not own the RAILDEX universe.**

Author's Note:

Welcome dear readers!

We have arrived at the first of the sequels to my previous story: _He Will Surely Save_!

If you haven't read that story yet, I strongly recommend that you do so. It will make this one far more fulfilling . . . .

This story returns us to Friday, and overlaps with HwSS, part 8: A Light Makes No Sound.

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It was her first time inside the walls of Academy city.

While some people would have been overwhelmed by the sensory overload going on all around them, it was plain to see that this girl had far more on her mind than mere sightseeing. Her green eyes were glittering with an almost manic anticipation, which was not lost on the busty bespectacled young woman with the green arm band who was currently leading the the young girl through the city.

Konori grinned down at the little bundle of energy with the gray-brown hair skipping alongside of her.

"You seem to be in good spirits, Otohime-chan~"

The little living alarm clock spun in a slow circle as she jumped in place, pumping her fists in the air.

"I sure am!" The girl danced around her escort before sending up a dazzling smile. "I'm meeting with Onii-chan for lunch today! I had to wait so long, but it'll be just the two of us!"

Konori chuckled.

"Well then, dance if you have to, but keep a hold on my hand." Otohime obliged as the older girl continued her explanation. "The area gets very busy around noontime, so it's important to avoid being lost in the crowd."

"Right, Konori-san!" The little girl cheered as she tugged the high school girl along. Konori playfully went along with the brisk pace and decided that she might as well keep the conversation going.

"Did your paperwork take a long time to put through?"

"It took forever . . . " The girl nodded and then pumped her fist in triumph. "But I called Onii-chan yesterday the second they were approved!"

The dark-haired Judgment girl grinned down at her charge. "Well, I bet he's dancing inside too!"

"You think so!?"

"Sure, I d–"

**KA~BOOM! ! !**

Konori's words were taken from her when the shock wave from the explosion hit the pair. The two girls felt themselves hitting the nearby building before falling to their knees. The elder girl frantically shook the other's shoulder.

"Are you okay!?"

The dazed little girl rubbed her head, but otherwise nodded. Konori sighed in relief before turning her head to the source of the explosion. She could see the great billowing cloud of smoke and general chaos just over a block away from them. She turned back to the girl sitting on the ground next to her.

"Otohime-chan, I need to go help those people." The little girl's eyes widened. "I need you to stay here until I get back. Promise me you'll stay put!"

"I–I . . ." The girl swallowed briefly before raising a fist with a resolute expression taking over her face. "Yes, I promise, Konori-san!"

"Good girl, you should be safe here." Konori picked herself up off the ground and took off running, calling once more over her shoulder. "I'll be back soon!"

Otohime watched in awe as the girl from Judgment ran headlong into the confusion like it was nothing more than a routine daily event. This reverie was soon interrupted by a glint of motion in the corner of her eye. She turned her head in time to see a spiky-haired boy on the other side of the street, running against the tide of people in the direction of the explosion.

"Onii-chan!"

The little girl with umber hair frantically began to jump up and down, waving her arms in wide arcs to get the boy's attention. The confusion on the other side of the street made this impossible however and the girl began to scream at the top of her lungs while running along the sidewalk in the same direction as her cousin.

"Onii-chan! **Onii-chan!**"

The girl watched in relief as the boy paused in the distance and began to look around in confusion. She took a deep breath in preparation of her next shout. Just one more would do it!

This plan was interrupted by the sound of a voice from somewhere behind her.

"Target sighted. _Engage._"

Issuing a wail of terror, Otohime felt her feet being ripped from the pavement as an invisible force pulled her with the speed of a cannon shot into an alley far from the boy she had so desperately wanted to see.

"_**ONII-CHAN! ! !**"_

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The red-haired young woman was alone in the room, sitting with her head down on one of its several tables. Her eyes were closed as she rested her head on her folded arms, the pattern of her breathing slow and regular.

As she rested, the peaceful expression of her face began to give away to one of discomfort when beads of sweat slowly formed on her skin, traveling in slow lines down her lean and wiry body.

The girl's slumber grew restless as she shifted in place to try to find relief from the increasing washes of heat that moved over her body and penetrated deeply into the very core of her being. Her head raised up from her arms and turned to the other side before falling back into place, her mouth muttering words of nonsense.

Finally, after some few moments, she lifted her head and shook it to clear her mind. She drew her wrist over her face to clear the sweat that was pooled in her eyes and glanced about the room in confusion.

She swore that she saw the air rippling in waves of scintillating colors, her hand moving reflexively to wipe her forehead once more as she pushed herself out of her chair.

The thickness of the air was making it increasingly difficult to breathe as she stumbled over to the wall and the picture of a certain spiky-haired boy affixed to it. When she reached the wall, she fell hard against it, swiping her hand across the picture when she made impact.

The girl gasped in surprise when her fingers left trails in the image that began to bleed down the wall like melting wax. She backed away from the wall in horror as the picture of the boy distorted into a grotesque wash of colors that began to puddle on the floor in front of her. As she raised her eyes back up, she saw the picture being replaced by another.

Myuri took a step back as she watched the kind, but determined face of the Hero melt away to reveal the image of a young woman underneath, and flinched at the sight of those cold, pitiless eyes.

The image was one of an older girl, at least in high school, with brown hair just down to her shoulders. But it was those eyes that drew her attention, Myuri felt her breath becoming ragged as she locked her gaze onto those distant and calculating orbs. There was no kindness in these eyes, only an endless and predatory look.

Clamping her eyes shut, she pitched forward and clutched her chest when a feeling very much like drowning came over her. She struggled to take in even the smallest breath, when she heard the sound.

Her ears detected a quiet clicking or crackling sound from somewhere in the room behind her.

With a slow reluctance, she allowed her eyes to open and looked over her shoulder. What she saw made her twist around in a panic and throw her back against the wall hard enough to feel the pain blossom over even the front of her body.

She slid down the wall as the creature approached her. It was white, oily white. Myuri could imagine that it resembled a girl that had been dipped in glistening wet white paint and then stretched vertically to twice her height without increasing overall mass. This long spindly body was crackling and creaking as it approached the terrified red-haired girl seated on the floor. The glowing red orbs of its eyes casting eerie shadows over its elongated features as it reached out to touch her.

Myuri tried to scream as those branch-like fingers drew themselves across her cheek.

_But her lungs found no air to make the sound._

**. . . .**

The red-haired young woman woke with a gasp and raised her head from its position nestled within her folded arms. Her hand rose up to her forehead to wipe away the cold layer of sweat which had gathered above her eyes as she slowly turned her head from side to side to take in the room. She was alone.

Letting out a long ragged breath, she turned her eyes to the table again, but felt her body stiffen again when the sound of her ringing phone broke into the oppressive silence of the room.

With a shaking hand, she flipped it open and brought it to her ear. Myuri flinched as the icy flat tone of the voice on the other end hit her.

"_Commander."_

" . . . General."

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"_**ONII-CHAN! ! !**"_

The lurching feeling of Otohime's stomach being pushed down to her feet was abruptly ended when her back roughly hit the pavement in the middle of the alley, knocking the wind out of her. She gasped for breath as four pairs of hands firmly held her wrists and ankles down to the ground. In the darkness of the alley, she was unable to make out the faces of the people silhouetted by the light from above. Her tears began to wet the pavement beneath her as she turned hear head feebly from side to side.

"_Onii-chan . . . _" She whispered in terror when she finally caught her breath. "_Please save me . . . ._"

"It's . . . " A male voice spoke hesitantly from above her head. "It's just a little girl . . . "

His protest was answered by a girl's voice somewhere below the little girl's feet. Otohime was chilled by the tone, holding not a shred of compassion or empathy, as though the speaker was ordering dinner from some cheap restaurant.

"You took the money, so shut up and hold her still." She turned her head to another of the dark blobs hovering over the little girl's head. "You, attach the electrodes like I showed you."

Otohime began to panic and struggled against the boys holding her down. As they tightened their grips, she cried out for mercy to the boy above her head.

"NO! Please let me go!" She flinched as the boy grasped her head to keep it still as the electrodes were attached to her temples. She choked briefly before plaintively croaking out a final protest. "_Please don't hurt me . . . _"

"Be quiet, brat." The older girl roughly seized Otohime's jaw and turned her head to the side, pushing it firmly into the pavement. "It'll all be over in a minute. You'll probably even live."

From the corner of her eye, the little girl saw the other girl pull out an enormous drill-like syringe and began to panic. She struggled against her captors until her face was once more shoved forcefully down to the ground. Otohime could feel the cold point pressing into the skin behind her right ear. From the edge of her vision, she could see the older girl starting to grin.

"Rejoice, for you are about to become part of something so much bigger than yourself."

_Pain._

Blinding white-hot _pain_.

Ohohime did her best to scream as the high-pitched grinding of the instrument penetrated into her skull and she twitched in agony as the girl above her leaned forwards to speak directly into her ear.

"_One day, you will thank the General._"

The machine above Otohime's head whirred to life as the probe was finally removed, the burning pain still present behind her eyes as the older girl threw the bloody instrument to the side and looked up at the sky.

"Mistress, all the pieces are in place!" The girl shrieked out to the heavens like a madman. "Open the loop!"

The little girls face contorted as her body wrenched itself off the ground, her hands and feet nearly pulling away from where they were being held down. Her eyes fell partially shut for a moment before snapping open again, pupils dilated.

"She's convulsing!" The first boy yelled out in a panic.

"Hold her still or she'll bite her tongue!" The older girl yelled back as she moved to help the other five restrain her.

"**O!**"

She wrenched her head out of the boys grasp, her back arching off of the ground. Her body fell back down to the ground for a moment and shook before she twisted violently to her right side.

"**Nii!**"

The machine above her head began to beep erratically and the two boys holding her feet were thrown backwards. She choked and gasped while they pounced on her legs to force them back down.

"**CHAN! ! !**"

With that last shriek, the girl's body gave a mighty seize, lifting itself off the ground for a moment before it finally slumped back down to the ground. There she remained, shivering and unresponsive, until a new voice hissed out from the entrance of the alley, bringing the groups attention to the new intruder.

"_How dare you . . . _"

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" _. . . General."_

The voice on the other end responded without ceremony to her words.

"_Your guess is correct, despite never before hearing her voice."_

Myuri began to look around the room as if confirming that she was alone before she finally built up the courage to speak again.

"May I ask why the great and mysterious General is gracing me with the sound of her voice?"

"_She believes that loyalty is in question."_

The flat response forced the red-haired girl's hand into a tight ball as she struggled to keep her voice even.

"Is that why you sent your little pet into my head with a message?"

"_You are dangerous, Commander." _Myuri raised an eyebrow at the General's words._ "More dangerous than you realize."_

"You consider me a threat then?"

The Hoyden felt herself twitching in irritation when her question was met with a dark chuckle from the other female.

"_She realizes that you are less of a threat to her, than you are to yourself . . . "_

"I'm afraid I don't follow your reasoning, General."

Myuri stood with a tapping foot and she waited for the general to elaborate on this bizarre viewpoint.

"_Such an emotional girl." _The General's tone seemed to take on a teasing quality as she spoke. _"So full of love and anger."_

Myuri's jaw dropped as she struggled to find a response.

" . . . "

The General continued blithely on through the girl's silence.

"_This is what worries her."_

Myuri finally manged to close her mouth. " . . . Your point?"

"_Your decisions lack depth." _The voice on the phone was now dead serious, lacking what little playful quality it had shown before. _"So blind to each long term path."_

The offended girl struggle to not hiss into the phone. "I know the only path that I need to take."

"_So you say, but the boy was often foolish . . ."_

"You– !"

"_He needed her far more than he ever realized . . . " _The General broke into the hoyden's angry retort with her cold and measured words. _"Therefore he gave her his soldiers."_

Her temper finally reaching its boiling point, Myuri's voice exploded from her throat.

"Mairo-sama **never** would have allowed you to do _half_ of what you are planning!"

"_He was far too kind to ever understand how the world really is." _The general's voice was cold and even, each word cutting into Myuri with painful shivers._ "If he did, he would have followed her, just as you will continue to do."_

Myuri stood silently, frozen in place.

"_She has called to remind this angry loving girl of her place."_

The wiry hoyden growled quietly as her fingers dug into the palms of her hands, the nails cutting into the flesh from the strength of the grip.

"_Misaka 00000 is the one to whom your lives have been given, and you **will** obey her."_

Myuri stood rigidly as the phone line abruptly went dead.

Pulling the phone from her ear, she stared at it for several seconds. With sudden shriek of rage, she threw it across the room as hard as she was able with those shivering hands. She heard the delicate device shatter when it made an impact with the opposite side of the room and gritted her teeth.

Without a sound, she turned and sent a fist into the wall with all her strength, before collapsing into it. She buried her face into her arms and trembled as she leaned against the wall, refusing to acknowledge the salty drops wetting her skin.

_No more . . . ._

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"_How dare you . . . _"

The group collective turned and found a pure white boy with shining green eyes standing in the entrance of the alley, his body shaking with clenched fists. One of the boys found his voice.

"Oh, _shit_ . . . "

The older girl was unmoved by the new arrival and merely sent him a cold smile while sitting on her knees.

"Too little, too late, Number Two." She gestured with her head at the little girl on the ground behind her. "It's already been done."

"_A little girl . . . _"

Kakine's face fell forward as he whispered, his body shaking even harder than before.

"_Bastards like you . . . should just . . . __**die**__ . . . ._"

The group of boys flinched in terror when the level five abruptly snapped his head upwards. His growing green eyes casting shadows on the inhuman look of utter hatred that was contorting his features into an unrecognizable mask.

"**WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE ! ! !**"

With that overwhelming scream, the group was blown backwards by the appearance of six enormous white wings which roared into existence with a thundering sound.

The older girl sat unmoving and smiled a brutal smile as those wings approached them, cutting through the pavement and masonry walls surrounding the level five like they were nothing but water. The little girl behind her had been awoken by the sound and turned her head in time to see the boy throw those wings forward.

She covered her eyes and screamed with all her might, the machine above her head making a loud crackling sound before going dark and smoking.

"The field counter just burned out!" One of the boys yelled in a panic at another, who then responded in kind.

"That's not _possible_!"

The older girl grinned brightly as she watched the wings approach them. Otohime screamed in terror from behind her hands.

"**NO ! ! !**"

Her body seized once as the ground below her shattered and rippled outwards, destroying the machine near her head. Shimmering waves of _something_ moved out from her body and violently threw her former captors into the walls of the alley. Kakine's jaw dropped as these waves moved on and began to twist and rip his wings apart. He struggled to remain upright against the tidal flow, his face beginning to take on an agonized look as the tearing finally reached his body.

But, he wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop!

All this seemed to be for naught as his body finally left the ground and was crushed into the alley wall like the others before. He was vaguely aware of the sound of shattering glass and the feeling of the rippling field finally vanished. Kakine fell forward, landing helplessly on his face and lay there without moving.

The tearful little girl had been grabbed by a familiar young man with spiky-hair. He held her close as she weakly muttered into his chest.

"_Onii-chan came to save me . . . _"

Touma's voice was breaking up as he rubbed the back of her head. "Otohime, I–I 'm so sorry . . . "

"_You saved me, Onii-chan . . ._" The girl's strength left her body as she lost consciousness. Touma tightened his grip on her tiny body and began to rock her back and forth. "_I'm so happy . . . _"

As she trembled in his arms, Touma buried his face in her hair and let himself begin to finally weep.

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A bruised and battered looking young woman made her way along the sidewalk with a slight limp. Her cold eyes glanced back and forth behind the shield of her dark brown hair as she walked with a slight hunch, muttering into her cell phone.

"Mistress, all went as planned."

" _. . . "_

"Dark Matter attacked just a few minutes ago." A brutal smile crossed the girl's lips. "The little one was . . . _very_ effective."

" _. . . "_

"Yes, exactly as you anticipated."

The sinister girl grinned as the voice on the other end responded.

"Mistress, your praise is all I could ask for. What should we do with the other witnesses?"

" _. . . . "_

"Perfect."

The limping girl snapped the phone shut when a quiet voice wheezed out from a nearby alley.

"_You . . . _"

With a brief start the girl was violently pulled by an unseen force into the alley where the pained voice had issued. She felt her back hit the wall hard, and two pairs of hands pinning her arms in place. That voice again spoke.

"You _lied_ to us."

She smiled defiantly at the injured boys closely surrounding her. "Did I . . . ?"

"You told us we were dealing with a dangerous esper!"

"I didn't say she was dangerous _yet_." The boy twitched as she continued. "She is now. Therefore, I didn't really lie to you, now did I?"

"You said it was a neutralization!"

"Hmm . . . " The girl tilted her head from side to side. "That _was_ a lie . . . "

The enraged boy sent his fist into the wall next to her head hard enough for her to hear a cracking sound. She didn't even flinch.

The girl leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

"I am her soldier." He shivered as that pitiless voice slid into his ear. "I _obey_."

"Well, WE aren't!" He stomped his feet in rage as his companions nodded in agreement. "We're a study group, not a bunch of thugs!"

"Your club accepted her funds."

"Who cares about that! Did you see the look on the number Two's face?!"

He paused and grasped his head for a moment before continuing.

"I don't know what he thinks we did to her, but that wasn't a farce!" He shivered as the memory resurfaced. "We'll never be able to show our faces outside again thanks to you!"

The girl cast her eyes towards the entrance of the alley.

"You boys don't need to worry about that . . . "

The heads of the boys collectively snapped to the side when a new voice drifted into the alley and reached their ears.

"_I really don't like it . . . "_

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_The pure white boy pushed his shivering body up from the pavement and struggled to remain upright. He turned his head and found the Hero, Kamijo Touma, rocking the little girl from before back and forth as he held her in his lap._

"_What . . . **the hell** . . . was that?"_

_Touma remained silent._

"_I remember that feeling." The boy looked down at his shaking hands. "It felt like dying . . . "_

"_Beetle-san." The abrupt words brought the level fives attention to the other boy. "I need you to take her to the hospital."_

"_But–"_

"_She's my cousin!"_

_Touma's yell stopped Kakine in his tracks, finally he sputtered in confusion. "What about you!?"_

"_I have to tell my school what happened. Have the hospital call them when you get there." _

_Touma handed the little girl over to the white boy, who flinched when he saw the blood slowly leaking from the wound behind her ear. He pointed out of the alley._

"_Now, GO!"_

_Kakine nodded once and shuddered as his body managed to reform his wings. A moment later he took off into the sky like a shot. When the dust settled Touma dashed out of the alley as fast as he was able._

**. . . **

It was about ten minutes later when Touma rounded the final bend and his school building came into view. With a final burst of speed, he bounded up the main stairs and threw open the door to the teacher's lounge.

The room's three occupants looked up in surprise. Komoe waved the boy she had been scolding out of the room. Aogami, that very same boy, stood up and returned to the hallway without saying a word. His face was tense as he passed his friend, but he remained silent. Yomikawa rose up to her feet and nodded at the boy, a slight glistening in her eyes present despite her best efforts to the contrary.

"We received the call from the hospital –jan." The blue-haired teacher stated as she tapped the papers on the desk next to her. "You should have gone straight to there, we never would have asked you to come here under the circumstances . . . "

"No, I had to come here." The boy shook his head and locked eyes with his teacher, his face full of trepidation as he continued. "I need someone that I can trust."

" . . . " Yomikawa looked over at the tiny pink-haired teacher, who returned a confused, but still worried look. " . . . Why?"

"My cousin isn't a student." The features of the boy's face set themselves into a grim mask. "She's a visitor."

The teachers went pale. He continued.

"They injected her with something." He turned his head away. "I think I know what it was . . . "

" . . . "

"I remember the way it felt when I got near her." Touma turned back to look Yomikawa in the face. "You'll remember it as well. I guarantee that."

" . . . We'll need muscle. I'll call my colleagues first." The busty teacher sat down and began to dial her phone. She looked back up at her student. "If that doesn't work, I might need to do this under the table."

The pink-haired teacher waved her hands to get their attention. "We shouldn't just stand here like this! Can you handle our students?" The taller teacher nodded. "Then I'll drive Kamijo to the hospital. Let's go!"

With that frantic shout, the teacher and student dashed out of the office as one, making their way to the stairs.

**. . . .**

Slightly down the hallway, the blue-haired boy with piercings muttered into his cell phone as he faced the wall, leaning forward with one hand planted hard against it. He seemed to be shaking as he spoke to some unknown person.

" . . . She never had a chance . . . "

" _. . . " _

"**Well, she failed then!**"

The voice on the other end paused. The boy continued.

"I can't do this anymore. I _refuse_ to be a part of this."

" _. . . !"_

"I don't care abou–"

The boy's words were interrupted by the flurry of activity from the teacher's room. A pair of individuals, one his friend and the other his teacher, burst through the door toward the stairs. He watched them as they ran, listening to the thundering of their feet.

Near the top of the stairs, he saw Touma lose his footing.

Paralyzed, he stood with the phone to his ear and watched his friend fall.

He heard the wet crunch of the impact and the cry of pain from the boy. He listened to the terrified screams from his teacher and felt the wall crack beneath his fingers.

" _. . . ?! . . . ?!"_

The blue-haired boy felt a solitary tear slide down his cheek as he made his final statement, his voice was flat with a cold burning anger.

"This is too far. _She can't be forgiven._"

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"_I really don't like it . . . "_

The boys in the alley let go of the girl they had been pinning against the wall and wheeled around to face the newcomer. She stood frozen in the entrance of the alley and muttered to herself, seemingly oblivious to the people in front of her. She had black hair and wore a miniskirt despite the low temperature. The boys noticed the array of gadgets hung from cords around her neck and stood there, trying to comprehend the situation.

"It's not very Kihara-like, is it . . . ?"

The girl looked down and pulled at the fringe of her skirt for a moment before speaking again.

"But I understand Touma-onii-chan . . . ."

The screens of the various gadgets around her began to flash with vast numbers of strange graphs and symbols. With an almost mechanical motion, the girl's head rose to look at the group. Her expression seemed devoid of emotion as though it had been carved from stone.

"_In this situation, Kamijo Touma would do this._"

The boys watched in terror as the girl's eyes dilated. They cried out in panic when she dashed forwards like a wild animal.

"What are you d– **AAHH!**"

. . . .

The older girl managed to stumble out of the alley just as the mini-skirted girl's assault began. As she listened to the wet crunching sound of impossibly powerful impacts, the cool and pitiless expression that she had worn up until then melted off her face and was replaced with one of awe.

Then terror.

The boys' cries of pain gradually died away, but those impacts continued for some time.

Until all at once they stopped.

She found her breathing becoming ragged when the footsteps started. They were coming closer . . .

A shadow from within the alley became visible to the girl, who had long since started to panic.

"No! Mistress, please!"

Those footsteps continued to approach.

"Mistress, I am your soldier!"

Closer . . . .

"I obey!"

Still closer . . . .

"I OBEY ! ! !"

The girl wearing the mini-skirt stepped into the light from the depths of the alley. She was splattered from head to toe with blood and stopped directly in front of the hysterical girl. As the blood dripped from her body onto the pavement, she stared down at the other girl and spoke with a passionless voice.

"No loose ends . . . "

The girl paused and licked the blood off of the fingers of her right hand. The girl seated on the ground struggled to breathe as she fought against the tide of terror welling up inside of her. The bloody girl's next words cut through her as her body stiffened.

"_This is surely what Kamijo Touma would do._"

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Author's notes:

Ah, where to start . . . .

Otohime is the girl who called Touma on Thursday (when Kakine met with Accelerator ), the girl who he was meeting for lunch on Friday, and who Touma and Kakine were talking about in the hospital on Saturday.

Myuri gets a rather unpleasant visitation.

The General is Misaka 00000, Full Tuning. The original clone from the Radio Noise project. Since the project was originally military in character, my story has her as the overseer of the clones until she was made redundant by Last Order.

The Bloody girl in the alley is Kihara Enshuu. Yes, Dimak, I can hear your disappointment _all_ the way over here. Oozing through the screen at me . . .

While it's not massively obvious, the suddenly dilating pupils are a sign of a connection to Facade. Recall Misaki's attempt to read Sogiita's mind and Umidori's description of Mairo from the previous story. In Mairo's case, the dilation was due to Facade and the twitching eyes were due to Body Crystal.

::::::::Reviews:::::::::::::::

EpicReads: Glad you're enjoying it! The shorter chapter length will let me update a lot quicker, so stay tuned!

Dimak: Welcome Back! ASoFS will probably be the darkest of the three sequels, but there will still be some lightheartedness present. Yes, Full Tuning is mostly working as an OC stand in, but I find her to be an intriguing character and I want her to present a vastly different side of the Misaka network. Her motivations are less obvious than they would appear . . . .

I'm glad you enjoyed the scene with Otohime in the alley. It isn't obvious, but she was basically 'espered' by what the group did to her. To understand the gravity of the situation, you would have to remember the last two times Kakine's wings were twisted and ripped apart by another esper and how it happened. Aiho would know 'that feeling', due to her current living arrangements . . . .

The oily, white creature will be explored further in this story, as well as Myuri's importance to the Middle Line. While she hasn't been a member of the group that long, she is actually a high ranking member. The next chapter will cover more about the middle line.

I do recall the other character with the 'mi-chan' nickname, but I am using it for Misaki because she is trying to block out the memories of Dolly calling her that name, with more pleasant ones. Or perhaps so that she won't forget . . . .

Aogami is talking to Aneki. I'll leave it at that . . . .

whwsms: Thank you! Also, re-reading never hurts in my stories . . . .

Guest1: With the arrival of Otohime the battle for favorite little sister begins!

Guest2: They know _exactly_ who they are . . . .

Itherael: I get the feeling that you will be both very happy and _very_ angry with me.

PokemonJoe1: Great to have you! Hope you enjoy the rest of the sequels!

Kage15oni: I just hope the rest live up to expectations. I'll keep at it!

Loopsy: I think you can guess why I separated the sequels from HwSS. That said this story will not be _all_ doom and gloom . . .

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To all those who have read, favored, followed and reviewed the previous story, Thank you!

I will be updating the sequels in a round robin fashion, so stay tuned!

Until next time,

Lets get writing!


	2. Melt in the Rain

**A Sky of Falling Stars, part two: Melt in the Rain**

**I do not own the RAILDEX universe**

**Author's Note:**

Greetings again, dear readers!

Thank you for joining me in the next installment of the continuing _He Will Surely Save_ saga.

Our story has moved on to Sunday, with the prior day's events being covered by _HwSS_ and _MotH_.

Despite the tone of _A Sky . . ._ 's previous chapter, I won't be wallowing in doom and gloom all the time. Even in darkness, there will be light.

Now lets get to it!

Enjoy!

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A young woman wearing a simple uniform sat glaring at the computer screens in front of her. She scratched her head just below the flowered ornament adorning her hair before drumming her fingers on the desktop.

After a moment, she shook her head and, upon lacing her fingers together, stretched her arms over her head. When she let out a mighty yawn hardly befitting such a delicate girl, a smooth voice floated up from the far side of her desk

"You seem focused today." Uiharu turned to see a small white beetle skitter over the shiny wood closer to her. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Beetle-san . . . " The girl yawned again behind her hand as the little beetle blossomed into a riot of smoky white ribbons that reformed into the shape of a pure white boy. "Just a little frustrated, so I'm taking a brake."

The pure white boy stepped up behind where Uiharu was sitting and began to gently massage her shoulders. The girl sighed quietly in contentment.

"Frustrated about the bloody alley girl?"

"Yeah. The explosion earlier that day took out a big chunk of the security camera network in the area." The girl pointed at several highlighted maps on the computer screen. "So there are a lot of gaps to work through."

"Do you think the two events are related, then?"

The girl shrugged under the level five's hands.

"It's possible, but it could just be someone taking advantage of the confusion." She reached out and framed a portion of the map with her fingers. "The blackout overlapped several blind spots, so she could be anywhere in the surrounding three districts . . . "

The white boy grunted from his position behind her.

"I think we're dealing with a professional here."

Uiharu nodded and rubbed her eyes.

"I just wish the camera angle wasn't so bad." She brought up the best of the grainy images of the girl in question. "As it is, there are several thousand girls that fit her basic description!"

Kakine leaned forward to give the girl a wicked grin.

"Worse comes to worst, I can take care of that . . . ."

Uiharu shook her head furiously.

"I don't think we should do something that would start a rumor that the famous rhinoceros beetle has a miniskirt fetish."

The white level five's grin only widened when he heard that.

"Good point!" He put his hand on his chin in a mock-thoughtful pose. "The response to that could go either way . . . "

The girl blinked and tilted her head.

"Either way?"

The level five made a sweeping gesture with his hands like he was framing an image in front of himself.

"New fashion trend!" His glowing green eyes seemed to be glittering somewhat more than usual. "Ton's more miniskirts or tons and tons less!"

"Beetle-san . . . "

Kakine leaned towards the floral accented girl with a grin threatening to split off of his face. "Our skirt-flipping friend will no doubt be enamored . . . "

"Beetle-san!"

"Right, right– One too far . . . " He waved his hands, not sounding the least bit regretful. "Moving on to better and brighter things. What are you looking at right now?"

Uiharu's eyes lit up for a moment as she turned back to the keyboard.

"Ah, I felt like learning more about the people that visited us yesterday." She gestured to the only screen not currently filled with maps. "So I have been tracking their names through the databases."

"Sounds like a good idea." Kakine leaned forward to read over her shoulder. "How is it going?"

"Slowly." Uiharu grumbled bitterly. "These guys have surprisingly little on themselves. They're like ghosts in the system."

"That's probably their doing."

"Yeah, I think so too." The girl focused closely on the screen for a moment. "They have some good coders with them if they're giving me this much trouble."

The white boy leaned in with another playful grin. "Feel like you're facing Everest?"

Uiharu turned to look at him, her eyes glittering in excitement as she matched his grin with her own. Her fists where pumping at shoulder height as she exclaimed with a fore far exceeding her appearance.

"I haven't felt so fired up in ages!"

The pure white level five chuckled as he patted her on the back. He gestured with his chin at the computer screen.

"So what do you have so far?"

Uiharu rubbed her hands together in glee.

"Something that took me a lot of work to get." She spun her chair around to face her companion. "You remember how I said Sotomawari-san was the only level zero to reach level four?"

Kakine nodded and leaned forward in anticipation.

"_Asterisk."_

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A young blonde girl wearing a Judgment armband did her best to be inconspicuous as she passed through the halls of a certain hospital. Upon reaching a specific door, she furtively glanced about to check that the coast was clear.

Good.

With a deft precision, her hand slid open the room's door without a sound. She silently ducked inside and closed the door behind as she entered.

Nayuta paused and listened to the slow and regular sound of the occupant's breathing. She reached out her hand to draw back the privacy curtain separating her from the bed, but abruptly paused just as the tips of her tiny fingers brushed the heavy white fabric.

Her face tightened into a grimace as she withdrew her hand and shook her head. The little blonde slipped the straps of her red backpack from her shoulders and cautiously lowered it to the floor as she backed up and sank into the stiff cushions of a chair that had been pushed against the wall.

Nayuta placed her feet up on the cushion and hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees as she did so. Moments passed as she sat in silence, listening to the small girl on the other side of the curtain breathe. After what seemed like an interminable amount of time, the little blonde sighed and tilted her eyes to the floor.

"I'm taking a big risk here." Nayuta began to quietly speak to the rooms other occupant. "I hope you appreciate that."

The little blonde shivered.

"I can't imagine what Dark Matter would do to me if he caught me here . . . ."

The little Judgment girl briefly wiped her eyes before continuing.

"I wish I had the courage to say this to your face . . ." She slumped down in her chair a bit. "But I don't."

The little blonde buried her face in her arms for a moment and shook briefly. Her eyes were watering when she once again raised her head.

"_Because of me, you can never go home again."_

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"_Asterisk."_

Kakine frowned and raised an eyebrow

"Asterisk?"

Uiharu gestured behind herself with her thumb. "Yes, it turns out that there are other level zeros that reached level four . . . "

"Really?"

The girl locked eyes with the white boy. "And all of them did so after joining his organization, Middle Line."

" . . . . "

While the level five stood locked and blinking in silence, Uiharu turned back to the computer and started to frantically type on the keyboard.

"It took quite a lot of work for me to discover that fact too." The boy craned his neck to look at the screen. "It turns out that their schools tried to conceal their original levels by placing their past records in a deep archive."

"And they were explaining the loss of these records, how exactly?"

"Insurmountable data corruption."

The boy's face took on a sullen expression at the stupidity of the notion.

" . . . They thought that was going to work . . . ?"

"Apparently it did until I showed up."

Kakine rubbed his head for a moment.

"Wouldn't these schools want to claim that they raised a level zero to level 4, even if it wasn't actually them doing it?"

The girl paused at the keyboard, then continued her typing.

"The problem with that is that they would be asked to reproduce the results at some point." Uiharu frowned to herself. "Also, most of the prior methods used to raise a level zero to that level where pretty underhanded. The subjects didn't last long . . . "

The white boy furiously began to wave his hand in a fanning motion.

"Okay, moving on!" He pointed at the first entry on the screen. "What schools are we talking about here?"

"The two boys that visited both go to Nagatenjouki Academy and the redheaded girl goes to a school called Sorazairu Academy."

Kakine shook his head. "Never heard of that one . . . "

"Apparently it's a straight-shot type of ladder school. It has facilities from kindergarten through high school and is associated with several well regarded colleges and trade schools."

"So it's good for any kind of student." Uiharu nodded in agreement. He glanced at the screen. "Anything stand out?"

"Other than pushing students to be the best at whatever path they choose, not really." Uiharu gave him a playful smirk. "That Myuri girl is rather infamous there, though . . . "

"Doesn't surprise me in the least."

She scrolled down the page a bit.

"The records state that she became the school's banchou on her first day of middle school by beating up all the delinquents in both the middle and high schools."

" . . . In _one_ day?!"

"Sent most of them to the hospital too!" Uiharu had a manic expression on her face when she turned to look at her friend. "She's like an Amazon warrior princess!"

The level five was standing with a slack jaw and the palms of his hand facing the ceiling. "Why wasn't she expelled after all that?!"

"The records say there was 'insufficient evidence' to hold her responsible."

The boy's hands dropped limply to his sides as he muttered to himself. "This girl's actually starting to scare me a little . . . ."

"She's cool!" Uiharu was practically bouncing in her chair. "I dug in a bit deeper and I found out that she has four brothers. One older and three younger."

"What do we have on them?"

"The older brother works for the city as an aeronautical materials engineer and is a level two." The girl read down the list. "The younger brothers go to the same school. One is in grade school and the others are twins in the first year of middle school, all level zeros."

Kakine crossed his arms over his chest. He looked almost relieved. "How depressingly ordinary."

"Not at all!" The girl furiously shook her head. "When the twins were 5th year grade school students, they beat up five 3rd year high school boys when they overheard them saying bad things about their sister."

The white boy somehow became even whiter . . .

" . . . You're telling me that two 10 year old boys beat up five 17 year old young men at the same time?!"

"And sent them to the hospital!" Uiharu reached towards the screen with splayed fingers like she was about to be tossed something. "It's amazing! They're like a whole family of Amazons!"

The pair flinched when an unfamiliar young male voice broke into their conversation from the direction of the doorway.

"_Man, that brings back memories . . . "_

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"_Because of me, you can never go home again."_

Nayuta paused as if waiting for a reaction. When none came, she continued.

"The process that was used on you was based on some of my prior research." She looked down at the floor when she felt her eyes beginning to tighten again. "It never worked. There were no survivors."

The blonde girl lifted her face again and stared hard at the curtain separating her from the bed.

"Yet here you are, safe and sound . . . . "

She shuddered.

"And utterly terrifying."

Nayuta drummed the fingers of one hand on her knee.

"You received at least a year's worth of advanced curriculum in under a minute, but that doesn't even begin to explain what you are."

She glanced at the door and nodded to herself.

"After undergoing initial esper treatments, most people stabilize at level zero or one. Accelerator stabilized at level three."

The Judgment girl felt something catch in her throat, she struggled to clear it before finally swallowing the lump that had formed.

"Your AIM field is already well within the range of a level four. You'll probably stabilize higher."

Nayuta paused again, listening for a response. She felt a bit disappointed when none came.

"You are too valuable to the city to be ignored. Until you gain control of your power, you'll be vulnerable to whatever they send after you . . . "

The little girl rubbed her temples.

"The shape of your field is far too familiar to be a coincidence. The frustrating thing is that I can see exactly how the calculations have been twisted."

She scowled.

"It absolutely reeks of her template . . . . I swear, I'm going to punch her in the face the second I see her."

After a few moments of silence, Nayuta smirked briefly and stood up to leave. She quietly slid open the door and muttered back over her shoulder.

"But in the end you are the one with friends that can protect you. That boy . . . "

The blonde shook her head with only the tiniest bit of a grin showing as she slid the door shut behind her.

"_Honestly, little sister, I'm a bit jealous . . . ."_

**. . . .**

Beyond the white curtain, the sound of the door sliding shut caused the small girl with umber colored hair to shift peacefully in her sleep. The little girl muttered nonsense words below her breath as she cuddled the soft white pillow closer to her head and blushed briefly.

On the dark wood of the small table next to the girl's head, the glowing green eyes of a tiny white beetle faded to black before they just as quickly returned to the familiar shade.

The only sound was the slowness of her breathing.

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"_Man, that brings back memories . . . "_

Uiharu and her pure white companion spun in place when the new voice broke into their conversation. They stood blinking as a pair of teen boys waltzed into the room. With slightly spiky brown hair and intense, but playful eyes, the pair looked nearly identical.

The slightly shorter boy on the right scratched his chin in a thoughtful way. "Ah, we were so young and impudent then . . . "

The taller of the two turned and grinned at his brother. "Impudent, that's a great word."

The 'impudent' boy gave a thumbs up. "Thanks, it felt good saying it."

After blinking for a moment in confusion, Uiharu finally waved her hand at the boys to get their attention.

"Um, I don't know who you guys are, but the branch office isn't open to the public."

The taller boy bowed his head. "Of course, how rude of us . . . "

The shorter brother grinned and brushed the small forget-me-not flower placed in the second buttonhole of his uniform. "How impudent!"

The boy on the left swatted the other on the shoulder.

"We get it, it's a good word!" He turned to look at the room's original occupants. "The two of us are, in fact, the Amazon princess' brothers."

The white level five scowled and gestured at the pair. "You're little red tomboy's brothers?"

"Indeed we are." The shorter brother gave them a grandiose bow. "Haibu and Tsukyou at your service, hacker-mistress."

"Charmed." Kakine's voice was flat in response. "And you are here _why_ exactly?"

The brother on the left (Tsukyou, apparently) gestured at Uiharu's computer. "Our information branch noticed that you were looking through our records."

The shorter brother (Haibu, obviously) made a sweeping gesture between the two brothers as he continued the thought. "They wanted to save you the trouble, so here we are."

Uiharu and Kakine went pale (or paler) when they heard this. Uiharu looked like she was overwhelmed by the urge to run her anti-virus software when the brother called Tsukyou stepped forward and handed her a thick packet of data sheets.

"Here is information about the original 19 members of the Middle Line."

Haibu waggled his hand in the direction of the packet. "Our group calls them 'The Founders'. They pretty much run everything."

Uiharu began to glance through the various reports. The boys continued their routine as she struggled to find a place to start. Tsukyou lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Our sister was supposed to be the one that brought that to you, but Ikari-sempai didn't want to ruin her bizarrely good mood."

Haibu looked off to the side and scratched his chin. "Seriously, no matter how you look at it, that wasn't normal at all . . . "

Uiharu looked up from the packet in confusion. "Why's that?"

Tsukyou started to stare off into the distance. "She called us this morning at the crack of dawn and told us that she loved and was proud of us . . . "

Kakine raised an eyebrow as he watched the two boys shudder in revulsion. Uiharu glanced between the two boys for a moment before responding.

"But, that's so sweet!" She exclaimed, folding her hands next to her face. "What's wrong with her saying that?"

Haibu raised his hands in exasperation. "She hasn't said that to us since we were five!"

The taller brother smirked. "We told her that she needed to throw out whatever she was smoking."

"Wha– "

The white boy standing next to Uiharu interrupted her by placing his hand on her shoulder. He shook his head.

"Uiharu-san, don't keep feeding them straight lines."

Haibu continued. "After we said _that_, she just laughed and told us to have a fun day before hanging up the phone."

"Then we called Ikuko-chan – "

"That's her roommate by the way . . . "

Tsukyou nodded and continued. "Right. We asked her what was wrong with our sister."

Haibu rubbed his forehead to relieve some of the tension.

"It turns out that our sister spent the night drooling on her pillow and grinning like an idiot the whole time, but other than that, everything was normal."

Tsukyou gave his brother a gentle punch on the shoulder. "Even so, it's a nice switch. She was in a terrible mood this past week."

"She even kicked one of us in the head!"

"Which one of us got kicked again?"

" . . . You _do_ remember what we say in our family?"

"Right, how could I forget . . . "

The two boys belted out in unison as they each pointed to their heads.

"If you can't remember who got kicked in the head, it was probably you!"

Uiharu looked appalled when she heard this. Kakine looked like he was struggling to not laugh.

"Was that a big issue growing up?"

He received an answer in stereo. "Don't get us started."

"Then why don't we finally move on to something else?"

The pure white level five leaned forward and sent them a playful, if disturbing, grin.

"_What can you boys tell me about Sotomawari Mairo?"_

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A young man, clad in leather, was seated in a booth in a crowded family restaurant with his head down on the table. Despite being the sole male at the semi-circular table, he was far from pleased. After being called out from the arcade by the two witches that were running his life, he made the choice to let it all pass him by as best as he was able.

So there he sat, sulking into his folded arms, while his blonde witchy handler called the other girls to order.

"I would like to thank my jealously ability laden comrades for joining me for this special dinner~"

Aihana didn't bother looking, but he could imagine the blank expressions on the other girls' faces. It was an expression he was all too familiar with . . .

"So, with that out of the way, are there any questions?"

He could feel the Queen making a pose next to him as the new busty girl, Fuki-something, grumbled at the blonde

"Yeah, what's so special about it that you have to drag us out here on a Sunday?"

The Queen's answering giggle sent chills down his spine when it hit his ears.

"Lets just say I woke up on the best possible side of the bed this morning. It made me feel like celebrating various things, like _wonderful_ dreams, so . . . " The Tokiwadai girl warbled and shifted in her seat. "It's a celebration~"

New busty girl didn't sound the slightest bit impressed. "Of what?"

"The acquisition ability of our proxy for dealing with guts-boy, of course~"

"You mean the boy we met yesterday?" Aihana flinched when the inhumanly calm voice spoke up from a spot just beyond the other girl. He kept forgetting that she was even there and was fairly certain that he wouldn't be able to guess her name if somebody paid him.

"That's right!" The boy could feel the Queen posing next to him for a second time. Seriously, she needs a better hobby.

Aihana heard the girl sitting on the other side of the Queen move her arms and assumed to himself that she was crossing them over her borderline freakishly ample chest. She muttered just loud enough for the blonde girl to hear. "He didn't look like someone who could take down a level five . . . ."

"Well, we aren't planning to shoot him out of a cannon, if that's what you're implying!" The Queen twisted in place and tapped her hand against the table. "Subtly ability will be our ally. He'll never even have to throw a punch~"

"That worries me . . . "

"I think we should hold off on business until we get to a more secure location." Aihana's dark-haired handler spoke up from the seat across from him. "The wall have eyes."

"True . . . " The Queen's voice took on a creepy warble. "We don't want to give our beloved General-chan the wrong idea ability, do we~"

"Right." The beauty sempai sent back a gruff reply to her number one rival. "We'll meet tomorrow after school. Usual place."

"Marvelous." The blonde tapped the leather wearing boy on the back of the head. "Oh, Actor-chan~"

With a measured reluctance, the shadow striker finally lifted his head from the table and turned to glare in her direction.

"Be a dear, and get us our drinks~"

Aihana felt his eye begin to twitch. " . . . Seriously?!"

"It's going to happen either way, Actor-chan." The Queen gave him a brilliant smile, resting the finger of one hand on her cheek. "Are you really going to make me say it?"

After staring the girl down for a moment, the boy finally let out a groan of defeat and pushed himself up from his position at the table. Once on his feet, he trudged as slowly as he could to the other side of the room where the beverage bar was stationed.

"Get the drinks, get the drinks . . . " Aihana grumbled as he began tossing teabags into the mugs crowding the small tray. "Why don't you get hit by a bus, you channel-surfing witch of a level five?"

The boy lifted the tray with one hand and turned to bring them to the hot water dispenser.

The tray clattered to the ground with an impressive crash as the boy threw himself backwards, hissing in pain when he hit the edge of the table.

Standing before him was a nightmare in oily white. Branch-like limbs of an elongated girl seemed to melt and vaporize as he watched her . . . _it_ . . . shift in and out of focus.

The leather-clad boy furiously rubbed his eyes and opened them again.

There was no trace.

He glanced around suspiciously until the sound of his ringing phone caused him to jerk in surprise. When he answered it, a flat and menacing voice filled his ear.

"_Young man."_

The boy felt himself beginning to scowl even deeper than before.

"General."

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"_What can you boys tell me about Sotomawari Mairo?"_

With those few simple words, the atmosphere took on a far chillier playful banter from the two boys coming to an abrupt halt. They each looked off to one side or the other as a mutually grim expression stole over their faces. Shocked by the sudden silence, Uiharu whispered to the white level five in a scolding tone.

"_Beetle-san . . . !_"

Kakine turned and shrugged at the flowered girl standing next to him, not expecting this extreme a reaction either. He wasn't quite sure what to say at this point . . . .

After a moment, the boys recovered.

"Sorry about that." Haibu waved his hands to assay the others. "That's sort of a loaded topic in the group right now . . ."

Tsukyou scratched his chin. "I'm surprised that it didn't come up yesterday when Ikari-sempai et al. were here with you guys."

"Well, it sort of did . . ." Uiharu tried to explain, but was cut off by her pure white companion.

"They were being too poetic for us to get any real information out of them."

The taller brother nodded. "Not surprising."

"All of the Founders get like that when Mairo-sensei is brought up." The other continued. "But those three make an Olympic sport out of maudlin reminiscing."

Uihari waved her hand to get the boys' attention again and pointed down at the top data-sheet.

"Speaking of the Founders, your sister isn't listed here."

The pair nodded in unison.

"Myuri-nee isn't one of the Founders." Haibu began to explain. "She is, however, our top ranked Dragoon and assistant commander of the Operations department under Ikari-sempai."

Seeing Uiharu's confusion at the term, Tsukyou picked up from there. "Dragoon is our term for individuals that have esper abilities that are useful in combat and who also have above average hand-to-hand or ranged fighting skills."

"Ranged fighting skills?"

"As in snipers." Kakine spoke up with a disgusted tone. "Look, I'm happy for your sister, but we could really use some information about your leader. In particular, his relationship with the General and Number Six."

"They were both necessary for Mairo-sama's continued survival."

"How so?"

"Mairo-sensei's powers were growing increasingly unstable as time went on." Tsukyou began gesturing various distances with his hand as he spoke. "The lower the probability of an occurrence that he forced into existence, the greater the chance that something else would occur unintentionally as well."

"Mairo-sama couldn't stand the thought of accidentally hurting someone, so he always focused on 'the spark within', as he called it." The shorter brother continued. "This usually caused some kind of internal injury . . . ."

"And you people are following this guy?!"

A sour expression took over the brother's faces as they turned to regard the white boy.

Tsukyou tightly crossed his arms over his chest. "I suppose this isn't something that a level five would understand."

"Some of the people in our group were level zeros for a quarter century or even longer." The other brother hissed out quietly behind clenched teeth. "Within a year of joining, they became level twos and threes. Dark Matter, what would you do?"

The level five averted his eyes and let out a quiet grunt to himself before turning back to the two boys. "I apologize for my poorly worded outburst. Can we get past it?"

"We really are sorry." Uiharu bowed deeply before the two boys. "We know what it's like to have a friend in trouble."

Kakine grimaced, but nodded silently. The boys were apparently satisfied by this, the shorter one leading the explanation.

"The General discovered that something she possessed, called Facade, could be used to partially stabilize Mairo-sama's power by observing his calculations and collapsing certain probabilities."

"Number Six was also somehow able to reduce Mairo-sensei's power output and vastly accelerate his body's healing ability at the same time."

"Body crystal made up for the drop in power." Haibu broke in. "The three combined turned Mairo-sama into something that would give even a level five nightmares."

"I get that part." Kakine rubbed his forehead for a moment. "Why was he willing to bring himself to the brink of death like that?"

"We never understood his reason." Tsukyou shrugged and turned to leave, waving at his brother to follow.

Haibu waved over his shoulder as the pair exited the room. "He only ever said one thing about it."

Kakine and Uiharu stood confused as the boys voices retreated into the distance.

"_The one way road must end so that the horizon can begin."_

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"_General."_

The cold and flat voice of the aforementioned individual took on a taunting tone as she replied to the unenthusiastic response from the leather-clad boy.

"_Our striker sounds healthy." _He gritted his teeth as he listened. _"She is pleased to hear this."_

The boy turned his head from side to side for a moment before answering. "Is there a reason that you felt the need to threaten me with Facade today?"

"_Threaten is such an ugly word, don't you think?"_

"I think your issues are something that I don't want to be a part of . . . "

The (apparently) high school aged girl on the other end of the line chuckled for a moment.

"_Such a marvelous soldier you are." _The General's voice took on a lower throaty timbre._ "She is literally drooling at the thought . . . ."_

Aihana silently made a gagging gesture with his finger before responding.

"Can we talk about something else?" He prodded the creepy game-master as he glanced across the room at the table he recently vacated. "Like why you are sending a lower dimension projection of Facade into the same room as the Queen?"

"_Facade is a funny thing." _The General's response was casual and unhurried. _"While she may may be sharing her pet with your little blonde handler . . . "_

The boy thought he noticed a shimmer of white from the corner of his eye, but saw nothing when he abruptly twisted his head to look. The General smoothly continued.

"_One hand doesn't know what the other is doing . . . "_

Aihana glanced around again, squeezing the phone in his grasp until his knuckles turned white.

"I don't care how it works." He muttered into the phone. "Just keep it away from me."

The General started to laugh, causing his other hand to clench reflexively into a fist.

"_How cruel you are~" _She warbled in a sickeningly sweet way when she finally calmed down._"Her pet seems rather fond of you . . . ."_

The boy flinched and stuck out his tongue when he heard that.

"Don't give me more nightmares than I already have."

"_Speaking of that, she wonders how satisfied you are with your life."_

Aihana let out a deep sigh, massaging his temple with his free hand for several seconds before finally responding.

"I slavishly follow the commands of two zeppelin-chested baboons." He muttered into the phone. "What do you think?"

"_What if she told you that past mistakes can be forgotten?"_

"I'm listening."

"_What would you give for freedom . . . " _The boy raised an eyebrow._ "Without having to sacrifice what you already have?"_

Aihana stood silently, unable or unwilling to give the General a response.

"_She will contact you again, so take stock of life as it stands." _The General's became almost seductive in its emotionless and flat delivery._ "But before she goes, she would like to tell you a secret."_

The boy in leather didn't respond, but his head tilted to the side as she began to speak again.

"_Young man, did you know . . . ?"_

Despite himself, the Shadow Striker found himself grinning at the final sinister words the General intoned to him before abruptly cutting off the line. When he turned to get the drinks this time, he was whistling with a smile on his face. The words were echoing in his head as he worked . . . .

"_**Witches melt in the rain."**_

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**Author's Note:**

There it is!

Beetle-san always makes things fun . . .

Myuri's brothers once again make an appearance in the story. You may remember them from when they accompanied their sister's stakeout of Touma's date with Misaki.

Nayuta feels responsible for the Otohime's ordeal on Friday, since her old (failed) research was used. Note that, due to her powers, she _was_ aware that Kakine was in the room. We haven't seen the last of her . . .

We also have a subtle confirmation that the "starring girls" in the dreams presented in _Master of the House_ were experienced by both the individual girls and Sterling. No wonder some of them are in such good moods . . . .

The Echelon girls are ordered around the table the way they are because Misaki and Seria refuse to sit next to each other and Fukiyose refuses to sit next to Seria.

Note that Aihana has trouble remembering that Himegami is even present. Yes, I went there.

We have confirmed that the oily white elongated girl is a projection of Facade. The Echelon meeting on Monday will give Misaki and Seria an opportunity to introduce the new girls to it . . .

Reviews:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

EpicReads: Thanks! A sky of Falling Stars will be the darkest of the three sequels, but even then there will be fluff here and there.

Agent Nine: I understand the confusion. This story and the others that I have designated as 'sequels' are direct continuations of He Will Surely Save. HwSS covered the first week of the story, and the sequels will cover the second week, but all from different viewpoints. Kind of like how the Sisters arc was covered by both the Index and Railgun anime. I could have easily kept it all as one story, but it would have taken me forever to get the chapters out. the numerous plotlines would have been nearly impossible to follow as well. Lets just say I have epic plans. And yes, we will have more Touma . . .

Sargent Crash: Glad you are enjoying my OCs and Kakine! Fraulën Kreutune will have a few brief but important parts in the story. As for the body count, the Whovian in me would say this story will be more "Empty Child" than "Horror at Fang Rock" . . . .

JustARandomGuy: Now I wonder just what that Mairo could be talking about . . . hehehe . . . .

Kage15Oni: Yes she is! Glad you're enjoying the brothers, I do agree that there is a little bit of the Weasley spirit in both of them.

dimak: Once again, thank you for your detailed response! This particular chapter is something of a calm before the storm. Since Touma is bedridden during most of the time this story takes place, he will mostly be taking a secondary role. However, between the dreams, flashbacks/visions, and hospital visits, he will be making an appearance in nearly every chapter of all the sequels. So hold tight!

Myuri is loosely based on several different characters, but with my own spin on them. I think the strongest influences are Ryoko from Angel Densetsu, Reina from Yandere Kanojo, and Zoe from the Pokémon DP anime.

The beetle is a complex and conflicted individual at the moment. A lot of things will be coming to head in these stories and the one that follows it . . .

Aihana has seen a light at the end of the tunnel. Be afraid, witches. Be very afraid.

Regarding the tone of this story, I think both you and Sargent Crash will be satisfied with how the events play out, but for completely different reasons . . .

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Next up: _Master of the House_!

Until then,

Let's get writing!


	3. Western Bed

**A Sky of Falling Stars, part 3.1: Western Bed**

**I do not own the RAILDEX universe.**

**Author's note:**

Here is a short little chapter to start off the events of Monday in the sequelverse.

An appetizer perhaps . . . .

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A trio of girls wearing the simple and unassuming uniforms of Sakugawa Middle School chatted politely among themselves as they made their way to pick up the fourth member of their group. Uiharu, the girl wearing a field of flowers as an accent in her hair led the group. A small white beetle with glowing green eyes sat silently, clipped to her skirt. Two friends, Erii and Banri, followed closely behind the girl from Judgment. She turned back to speak to them.

"Are you guys sure that you want to come with me to Saten-san's dorm?" Uiharu scratched her cheek "You could just meet us at school instead."

"We don't mind." Erii smiled at her florally-endowed friend. "We would just be sitting around anyway."

Banri grinned. "This is also a great opportunity to see how she looks first thing in the morning!"

The telepath chuckled when Erii gave her a gentle shove. "Banri-chan . . . "

Uiharu giggled at her friends' antics and nodded in approval.

"Usually I don't need to make a trip like this, but I think Saten-san turned off her phone." Uiharu gestured with her hand as the dorm came into view. "She has trouble getting up on time the day after a vacation."

"That sounds like every day for you, Banri-chan~" Erii teased and dodged the other girl's playful swat.

Having finally reached Saten's dorm, the three girls, plus one beetle, made their way up the stairs and stopped in front of her door. Uiharu tried the handle.

It didn't budge.

"Well, it's locked . . . " She raised a fist. "Let's try knocking."

The delicate girl gave the door a surprisingly loud rap and hollered through it to the occupant inside.

"Sleepy-san! It's a school day!"

The group strained to hear a response from inside, but all was silent. The beetle finally broke its silence with a mischievous tone.

"Let me handle this."

The white beetle exploded into a smoky mass of white ribbons that abruptly imploded, taking the shape of a pure white boy standing in front of the door. Erii and Banri both twitched in surprise at the flashy entrance.

"I'm never going to get used to that . . . "

Kakine grinned back at them. "That's what makes life so much fun, Edisaki-san!"

Uiharu looked concerned. "You aren't going to break the door down are you, Beetle-san?"

"Of course not!" The level five's finger tips reformed into small needle like shapes. "I'm going to pick the lock."

Erii tilted her head in confusion. "Wouldn't it have been easier for you to just slip though the mail slot in beetle form and then unlock the door from inside?"

" . . . " Kakine's face tightened and he looked away from the girls. " . . . Where's the fun in that?"

He grimaced when the girls started to giggle behind him.

"Do you want in this room or not?"

"Sorry, Beetle-san . . . ." Uiharu placed a hand on his shoulder. "You just looked really cute a minute ago."

Kakine trembled for a moment when the other girls nodded in agreement. Finally he muttered quietly, mostly for his own benefit.

"_Let's just do this . . ._ "

Without a further word, the boy fitted the needle-like tips of his fingers into the lock and gently twisted. The knob gave a satisfying click and the door creaked open. With a grand wave of the hand, he ushered the girls into the room.

"Excuse us . . . " The boy quietly stated as he followed the girls into the room himself.

He had only taken two steps when he bumped into the girls in front of him, who were standing frozen in the middle of the room for some reason. Their eyes were locked on the bed.

When Kakine finally looked over at the bed's occupant himself, he had to slap his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing.

The long-haired girl was sprawled over the bed in a comical fashion, half under and half on top of her blankets. Her mouth was wide open and she was drooling on a pillow so tightly squeezed against her head that the group was surprised that the stuffing wasn't erupting out of it.

Uiharu was about to tap her friend on the head when she started to mutter in her sleep.

"_Onii-chan . . ._" Saten started to snuggle against the pillow. "_It's so big . . . _"

As one, the group blinked in unison and silently backed out of the room. Kakine closed the door and locked it again. He then turned back to the girls standing awkwardly in the hallway.

"We were never here."

The girls replied in perfect unison. "_Agreed._"

The white boy then began to stroll in the direction of the stairs, waving at the red-faced girls to follow. Uiharu crossed her arms over her chest.

"Beetle-san, stop smiling like that."

He grinned over his shoulder.

"Yeah, right back at you . . . "

**. . . .**

Back inside the room, a drooling sleepy girl continued to mutter into her pillow.

"_Onii-chan, the pizza is so big . . . _" Saten muttered with rosy cheeks, squeezing the pillow against her head.

"_We can't possibly eat it all . . . _"

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In the patient's lounge in a specific wing of a certain frog-faced doctor's hospital, a young woman was talking on a cellphone with an irritated expression on her face. The female voice coming over the line at her was taking a tone that she didn't like.

" _. . . "_

The nitrogen esper twisted into a new position in her wheelchair and adjusted the soft plaid quilt covering her legs.

"No, I'm not accusing you of anything."

" _. . . "_

Umidori sighed and gave the stuffed dolphin in her lap a squeeze with her free hand.

"That's because there are only six somnipathic espers in the city and you are the only one connected with the project."

" _. . . "_

"I _said_ I'm not accusing you of anything!"

" _. . . "_

"You remember the brainwashing experiment they had you in?" The girl on the other end replied affirmatively. "I think someone is trying to target me with it."

" _. . . "_

"Yes, I know it never worked with you." Umidori gave the head of her dolphin doll a scratch. "But didn't you say the project got the idea from another esper? Do you know where they might be?"

" _. . . "_

The nitrogen esper frowned.

"Is this 'Middle Line' some other dark side project or something?"

" _. . . "_

"Do you think Skill-Out would know anything about it then?"

The girl on the other end didn't sound confident.

" _. . . . "_

"Well, I'll try asking anyway. I have a source. Talk to you later . . . "

" – "

When the line disconnected, Umidori immediately dialed another number and raised the phone to her ear. When the line connected, a sweet little smile joined the subtle scarlet flush on her cheeks.

"Shiage-kun~" Her voice took on an uncharacteristic warble upon hearing the boy's greeting. "Your favorite girl has a question for you!"

" _. . . ?"_

"What do you mean 'who is this'?!" The girl shouted into the phone. "I'm going to smack you the next time I see you!"

" _. . . ?"_

Umidori gritted her teeth. "Yes, it's _me_."

She could hear the boy hesitate and shift uncomfortably on the other end of the line.

" _. . . ?"_

"I'm calling because I have a question." The little dolphin-loving girl began to drum her fingers on her wheelchair's armrest. "Do you know anything about something called 'Middle Line'?"

Umidori blinked in surprise when the boy on the other end abruptly went dead silent.

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A trio of red-faced girls and a currently clipped-on beetle silently made their way to school, walking so rigidly that people were starting to stare at them when they passed by. When the tension seeming like it was going to become unbearable, a playful voice floated up from below . . . .

"Well, it isn't as if you girls have nev–"

"SHUTUPBEETLESAN!"

When the frantic chorus of three voices died down, the beetle began to chitter to itself in glee. Uiharu's face twisted into a grimace as she shook her head.

"Seriously, Beetle-san . . . ." She muttered down at the white ornament clipped to her skirt. "Why do you have to say things li– Eep?!"

The girl from Judgment broke off her thought in surprise and froze in place abruptly enough that her friends slammed into her from behind, nearly knocking them all to the ground.

"Uiharu, wha–" Banri abruptly cut off her query when she caught sight of the individual standing in the path ahead of them.

A young girl, barefoot and barely dressed in filmy nightclothes, was blocking their way. The girls weren't sure of the reason, but simply looking at this strange girl was making them shiver in discomfort. She seemed almost too perfect to be real, like she had been airbrushed into existence.

Uiharu finally managed to find her voice and addressed the new girl.

"Um . . . I'm from Judgment . . . "

The girl's silvery hair shifted over her face as she tilted her head to the side, locking an unblinking icy-blue eye on the flower-headed girl. Uiharu quietly gulped and started again.

"Do you . . . need help . . . or something?"

The girl continued to stare, passing her one visible eye over the group. When Erii began to shake, Banri placed her hands on the other girl's shoulders to calm her. After a few uncomfortable moments, the little girl's lips finally parted.

"The shapes of friendship between you are easy to taste." The voice sounded more like a perfect recording being played back than a person actually speaking. "Delicious. Four stars."

"I-I – W-wha . . . ."

"It's alright, Uiharu-san." The beetle's voice floated up to the flabbergasted girl. "I know this young lady . . . "

With that, the beetle's attention was directed at the strange girl blocking their path.

"Fraulein, sweetie . . ." The beetle's voice did it's best to remain level. "Is something wrong?"

"The velvet texture of the rhythm of your heartbeat is so warm." The girls shivered when they heard that unearthly voice again. "I might have to smile."

" . . . Do you know where you are?" The beetle began to press. "Are you aware of your surroundings?"

The unearthly girl squeezed the large white beetle doll to her chest and tilted her head in the other direction.

"Are you my mummy?"

"That's not funny coming from you of all people!"

The little girl didn't react. The beetle paused to compose itself again and once more tried to question her.

"Is there something you need, sweetie?"

The pause from the girl seemed far longer this time and the group began to shift in place uncomfortably.

"Can you hear the echoing of that oily scent, Beetle-san?" Uiharu could feel the little beetle shudder on its clip. "An uneasy tugging inside yourself. That color is not imaginary."

The middle school girls blinked in surprise when the little girl abruptly turned on one foot like a well oiled piece of machinery and turned a corner down an alley. Only the sound of that unearthly voice was left behind.

"_Wormwood. A tincture._"

All the world seemed to return to normal upon the abrupt disappearance of that inexplicable girl back into the shadows. This did little to settle the nerves of the girls who stood shivering in the middle of the nearly empty street. Uiharu realized that she had been clasping her hands tightly enough to lose the feeling in them and forced herself to relax.

" . . . Beetle-san, who was that?"

A strangely far-off quality overtook the tiny level five's voice when he responded.

"_A friend, Uiharu-san. Just a friend."_

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It was shortly before 9am when the little group assembled in the main lobby of a certain hospital. In the middle of it all stood two very different individuals.

The frog-faced doctor looked down at the little umber-haired girl with a sympathetic, if detached, expression. The little girl was biting her lip, struggling to hold back her tears.

"With that, all the paperwork is complete." The doctor softly explained. "You are now released from my custody. Good luck."

The little girl nodded and whimpered. "But I want to be with Onii-chan . . . ."

"It isn't as if you are being banned from the hospital . . . ." The human Gekota patted her on the shoulder. "You are always welcome during visitors' hours. Weekdays are 4pm through 7pm because of classes being in session."

The little girl gave a fragile smile and nodded once more.

Touma waved his hand to get the doctor's attention. "She isn't a student, though."

"We're working on it."

The spiky-haired boy scratched his cheek and shifted about on his mobile bed, only to flush a bright red when a certain little girl bounded up onto it and wrapped her arms so tightly around his neck that he was having trouble breathing.

"Wait for me, Onii-chan!" The little living alarm clock sobbed into his shoulder. "I'll visit you everyday and nobody's going to stop me!"

"She ain't kidding either . . . " Umidori squeezed her dolphin doll and looked away uncomfortably. "Fear her wrath."

The group looked at the nitrogen esper in confusion, but the cat-like girl in the wheelchair said nothing further. Touma finally shook his head and gently stroked his cousin's hair.

"I'll look forward to it then." The little girl's face lit up. "Do you promise to be good for Index and Maika until I get out of here?"

She nodded with a dazzling smile. "It's a promise, Onii-chan!"

"Speaking of that, Index . . . " Touma looked over at his freeloading nun friend with no small amount of trepidation. "Are you sure you'll be okay looking after her?"

"Touma!" The little silver nun looked offended that Touma was making that assumption. "Several of my Grimoires contain detailed instructions on how to care for small children!"

"Do any of these instructions **not** end with 'and then complete the sacrifice'?"

The nun gritted her teeth and looked away, a flush of red blossoming over her cheeks. She muttered under her breath.

"_Some of them . . . ._"

The first class maid-in-training let out a chuckle as she spun on top of the drum-shaped cleaning robot.

"Don't worry about it." She twirled a finger in the air when her face aligned with Touma's. "If I can take care of my brother, then your cousin should be a piece of cake!"

"Touma! Why didn't you tell me your cousin was made of cake?"

The spiky-haired boy's eyes snapped open and he hugged the little girl closer to himself. "Are you sure we can't just hide her in my room, Doc? I don't like the look of that drooling nun . . . ."

"**Touma!**"

The frog-faced doctor waved to get the group's attention again.

"I'm sorry to have to say this" He started apologetically. "But in five minutes, you three ladies will officially be trespassing. You might want to wrap it up and come back later."

"Well, it can't be helped, can it?" Touma gave his cousin a final squeeze before taking her shoulders in his hands. He looked her directly in the eyes. "Otohime-chan, I need you to promise me one more thing."

The little girl's cheeks subtly colored. " . . . Onii-chan?"

"If you ever get scared, or just need someone to talk to, yell out as loud as you can 'Save me rhinoceros beetle!' and watch." Touma smiled warmly at the girl. "He will surely save you."

Touma watched as the solitary silver thread of a single tear traced a path down her cheek.

"Ugh . . . if this gets any sweeter, I'm going to need insulin . . . " Umidori tugged at the bright plaid quilt covering her legs and continued. "I might even have to go Paleo or something . . ."

"We really better get going." Maika broke in. The maid (in training) and silver nun grabbed a hold of the little girl and lowered her to the floor. Index grabber her hand firmly and the three girls started to make their way to the main doors. Otohime turned and sent an enthusiastic wave back to Umidori, who returned a little smile and silently rolled off in the direction of her room.

"All the talk about cake made me want some . . ." Index smiled down at the little girl she had attached herself to and nodded. "Let's go to that big cake shop down the road!"

"Wait, Index, you don't have any money . . ." Touma looked bewildered. "You can't just make Maika pay for everything."

"Touma, I know that!" The silver nun fished into a pocket in her habit and pulled out a small rectangular object. "I found this special talisman in our room that lets me buy all the food I want!"

Touma immediately went pale.

"No Index!" He started yelling after her. "That's my credit card!"

As he twisted on the bed, he heard the snapping sound of the automatic restraints locking him into place. With tears in his eyes, he watched the three girls disappear through the automatic doors.

His subsequent roar made every occupant of that lobby flinch.

"**SUCH MISFORTUNE!**"

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**Author's Note:**

Just a little frothy fun for your enjoyment . . .

Saten's Onii-chan delusion rides again! Returning from the restaurant scene in _HwSS: An Ignored Equilibrium. _So innocent . . .

Recall that Misaki mentioned somnipathic espers during a conversation with the General and that the General has four of these espers available to her . . . .

In Hamazura's defense, no one would have guessed that was Umidori over the phone . . . .

The beetle quotes the Doctor Who episode 'The Empty Child' at Fraulein, who then quotes it right back at him. He is not amused to be the straight man.

Fraulein also seems to be getting her senses mixed up a bit . . .

Otohime is taught how to invoke the beetle. She is also apparently made of cake.

Note that Umidori is concealing her legs from everyone, I wonder why . . .

Index has a credit card. Feel the fear.

Thank you for reading!

Until next time,

Lets get writing!


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